Lapping Silverstone with Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris

Silverstone has often been one of the highlights of the year for the drivers thanks to the high-speed nature of the circuit and the rapid changes of direction that have previously pushed Formula 1 cars to their limits. This time around, though, the predictions are for a very different experience, as nine-time British Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton explains…

I think this is going to be an unprecedented weekend in terms of the power deployment. All us drivers have been talking in the drivers' chat just how poor the power is going to be through this track. We run out of battery power. There's only a few corners to charge the engine, so the MGUK will be switched off for a large portion of the lap. That's where we [Ferrari] will struggle probably the most.

Honestly, I think [the difference] is going to be huge. If you look at the speed traces, we start losing deployment going into Copse. So normally the engine’s screaming as you're going into Copse and you're holding on for dear life as you go through there flat out. This year, the engine will be coasting down –  most likely we’ll be downshifting from eighth to seventh while full throttle, trying to keep the engine revs higher.

It'll be a long, long straight from [Turn] 9 to 10 with no deployment, basically. And then Maggotts and Becketts is not going to feel the same because I think you have to lift and coast or something through there for a period of time. So it's just a completely different track.

We'll see. No doubt we'll still get to enjoy it through certain elements of the track where you're not power-limited. But the best part of the track is those Maggotts and Becketts and Copse and Stowe, and in those places, the power is just dropping. And so I hope it's something they can rectify for next year.

Silverstone's a great place to see F1 cars stretch their legs, weather and power requirements permitting. Simon Galloway/Getty Images

Despite Hamilton’s concerns, defending champion Lando Norris is more optimistic that the track will still provide exciting racing this weekend.

I think Sunday will be exciting. On the outside, I think it'll be great. Certainly, there's going to be less challenges on the track itself compared to what you've seen in the past few years. We've gone from some of the fastest cars in high speed last year and a few years ago to certainly this year being a little bit less of a challenge.

Copse will certainly not be quite the same challenge it was over the last few years. Maggotts, Becketts, maybe not quite the same challenge. But it'll still be quick. I think it'll still be good to watch. The most important thing is I think Sunday will still be exciting from a spectator point of view.

Inside the car, it might not feel exactly the same and exactly as we want as drivers. Pushing through Copse and feeling like you're on the limit there and on the limit through Maggotts and Becketts. You're still going to have some zones where you're decelerating for longer periods than what you would like, but that’s just the reality of what we have nowadays.

They've still tried to make some improvements to make it better, even into this weekend. It'll still be good. It's still Silverstone. We're still in Formula 1. So at the end of the day, we can't complain too much.

British Grand Prix schedule (all times Eastern):

Friday, July 3
Practice 1, 7:30-8:30am
Sprint Qualifying, 11:30am-12:15pm

Saturday, July 4
Sprint, 7:00-8:00am
Race qualifying, 11:00am-12:00pm

Sunday, July 5
Race, 10:00am-12:00pm